Further on expanding foam guns

I've looked back to March this year using Google (to long ago for my news reader) for the last thread on foam guns.

As far as I can gather the strategy is that after use you take the foam can off, clean the top with cleaner, clean the outside of the gun, clean the inside with cleaner, then re-attach to the foam can.

This ties in with the instructions on the foam can and the cleaner can. There is, however, a Catch22 where you are supposed to have the part used foam attached to the gun and you may not know when you will next need it.

If you don't intend to use the gun again for an indeterminate time I assume you should leave it off the part used foam can and be prepared to throw the part used can away.

I am about to test this theory :-(

Our builders used my foam gun (I've never used it so far) and it looks nice and clean, and is attached to the can of foam.

However it must be about two years since it was used.

The foam still sounds liquid so I'll give it a go.

Is there any mileage in trying to run some cleaner through the gun before I try the foam?

I assume that if it is clear it will pass foam O.K. and if it is blocked then the cleaner will not be able to shift anything.

Oh, and which way should you twiddle the adjusting knob at the back? It is the Screwfix No Nonsense Foam Applicator Gun.

Cheers

Dave R

Reply to
David
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Probably lost all it's gas by now. you' just get some goo dribble out. The cans have a very limited shelf life before the gas is lost.

IME these guns are a waste of time. I get the non-gun cans and make sure I use them up compltely. ie, have a hole to squirt any remainng foam into/don't start a can when there's going to be some left over.

Reply to
harryagain

I wouldn't want the bother with something like thatas has been said you can get the throw-aways quite easily. You might care to get some adhesive foam. That comes in a bottle like any other glue or you can buy it in tubes for use with a mastic gun.

In my experience all those things tend to go off sooner rather than later (just add water) so line up as much as you can to use it up on as secondary and thirdry "to-do's".

Reply to
Weatherlawyer

i'm using a lot of firefoam to stick kingspan all over, been through dozens of cans and many guns (things go wrong and they clog up).

Immediately after unscrewing a foam can screw on a foam cleaner can and squirt it until no more foam comes out, just the solvent.

Best to leave the guns with foam or cleaner can attached I think - if theres a smidgin of foam inside it will set.

They can be disassembled and cleaned out, sometimes...

Recently bought six cheap foam guns from ebay china, so when they clog I can use another and then have a long session trying to recover several at a time.

[George] [g]

Reply to
DICEGEORGE

Well, the result is in, and don't store a foam gun with a canister on for two years! [No sh*t Sherlock.]

I gave it a really good shake and tried the gun. There was a dribble of foam, but no real flow.

Removed the canister and the top didn't seal. A bit like an indoor firework (fortunately outside). Deposited it in a plastic bucket as a low cost item which could possibly be cleaned afterwards.

Attached the cleaning canister to the gun and gave it a squirt. A very small amount of foam oozed out of the nozzle but nothing significant. The cleaner was two years old as well so I had no evidence that it was still working.

Further confusion - I couldn't get the red spray top back on the cleaner and couldn't work out why.

Anyway, no wins available so I went and got another gun plus foam and cleaner from Screwfix.

I got ready to use the new cleaner on the old gun just in case - at which point I realised why I couldn't get the red top on the old cleaner can. The seal around the central tube was stuck in the gun. Thin nosed pliers removed this and I tried some new cleaner. Sill no joy.

Tried the old cleaner on the new gun for a quick blast. Worked fine.

Fitted a new canister to the new gun and tried a quick squirt and all worked fine.

I see that I can at least partially strip down the old gun but I can't decide if it is worth the effort.

There is a very small chance that if I had removed the canister without trying to use it I might have saved the gun. The downside of this strategy would be if the gun was already working but the canister valve wouldn't close when removed. However the gun costs more than a canister.

Anyway, had my first play with a foam gun and it is more versatile then the aerosol versions.

Oh, and amongst all the comprehensive instructions on the can, there is nothing which says "first remove the sealing tab from the top of the can".

Cheers

Dave R

Reply to
David

That should be a given - the cleaner is just a solvent.

Reply to
Tim Watts

Nah, a foam gun is much better, controllable from a thin bead to a big squirt, less messy and less wasteful.

I'd always end up throwing away a part used cans of the hand foam, but I've left a part used can on the gun for over 6 months and it was still fine.

To answer the OP, I just leave the can of foam attached to the gun at the end of a job. I don't normally bother running cleaner through it, though I do try to clean up the outside a bit if it is messy.

Screw in the knob clockwise so that it is tight otherwise the foam in the gun can go off

Reply to
Chris French

attached to the gun for six months and it wont clog up.if you're going through that many guns you're doing something wrong.

Immediately after unscrewing a foam can screw on a foam cleaner can and

to clarify,the gun cleaner is a waste of time unless you're not going to use the gun for a long time

Reply to
steve.n

Drivel. The foam can only set when exposed to moisture.

Reply to
harryagain

If you do need to clean the gun out (with can disconnected), it's worth poking the ball bearing in the nozzle end with a cocktail stick or ball point pen to make sure it's free to move and not stuck in place with a bit of cured foam.

Reply to
mike

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